SwiftKey Hits iOS, Sadly Without Swipe Typing

SwiftKey Note is a new note-taking app for the iPad; and a notable one as it’s by the creators of the popular Android SwiftKey keyboard app. That sounds very promising right off the bat. Throw in built-in sync with and learning via Evernote and it really sounds exciting. The developers think so too:

SwiftKey Note is the fastest way to take notes on iPhone and iPad. Using magical prediction technology, it intelligently autocorrects words as you type and offers next-word predictions based on the unique way you use words together. It gets smarter the more you use it, and adapts with you over time. A quick and intuitive notebook to store and share your thoughts, SwiftKey Note lets you type as you think in a faster and more powerful way.

For many users that may well be true. I’m not one of them sadly – as the app is missing the swipe typing capability that it has on Android. I’ve been using swipe typing on a few Android smartphones and on a Nexus 7 for a long while now and my typing speed is like the tortoise and the hare on iOS and Android now (without the twist at the end of the tale).

I’m sure this is not the developers’ fault and is instead an Apple restriction – but the bottom line is that swipe typing is still missing. If this is an Apple restriction then it’s one that just makes no sense to me. What’s the great risk of allowing for additional input methods as options in iOS? I can’t think of any, and the benefits are huge.

Anyway, this is an interesting new notes app for the iPad and iOS, and the integration with Evernote is impressive. I imagine its ‘magical prediction technology’ is probably very impressive too – I just can’t help but view it as a step down without the swipe typing ability.